


To Become Human

by Aiyana (CyanAiyana)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Protective Hank Anderson, Torture, Worried Hank Anderson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-20 13:48:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15535608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyanAiyana/pseuds/Aiyana
Summary: Connor starts showing signs of deviancy and has to decide which path he's going to take.Amanda gives him a hard time.Hank just wants to help.*Starts at 'The Nest' chapter. Connor deviates sooner than in the game.*





	To Become Human

Connor watched from the car as Hank walked up to the counter of the food truck. His mood hadn't improved, and the car ride had been silent aside from the blaring music. Connor decided before his programming told him to that he should reconcile. The investigation would suffer if the Lieutenant didn't trust him as his partner. Plus after the confrontation in the station, the way it had played out wasn't sitting well with Connor.

As he walked across the street, Connor watched a young, squirrelly man approach Hank. A quick scan identified him.

_**AABDAR, PEDRO. Born: 01.25.2005 // Unemployed // Criminal Record: Illegal Gambling, Fraud** _

"-That filly's one hell of a chaser! You wanna flutter?" Pedro was saying. He shot a glance at Connor before dismissing him.

"Last shit-hot tip you gave me set me back a week's wages, Pedro..." Hank said, his voice serious, though he was smiling.

"Come on, this is different. It's 100% guaranteed. You can't go wrong." Pedro said confidently.

Hank was quiet for a few seconds before reaching into his pocket.

"Alright, I'm in." He and Pedro shook hands, and Connor didn't miss the exchange of money from Hank's hand to Pedro's.

"Damn straight!" Pedro said, starting off. He turned back for a second. "Hey, you won't regret this."

Hank smiled, but mumbled something under his breath that even Connor couldn't quite make out. He turned back to the counter, where a man was facing away, cooking something on the grill. Connor took this chance to step up beside the Lieutenant.

"Ugh." Hank groaned after glancing to his side and meeting Connor's eyes. "What is your problem? Don't you ever do as you're told?"

Connor didn't say anything, but Hank picked up on his confusion. "Look, you don't have to follow me around like a poodle."

"I... I just wanted to say sorry for my behavior back at the police station. I didn't mean to be unpleasant."

Hank shook his head. "Oh wow. You've even got a brown nosing apology program! Guys at Cyberlife thought of everything, huh?"

Hank's tone wasn't malicious, or as aggressive as Connor was used to him being, so Connor didn't reply. The man working the grill turned around at that moment, and Connor jumped at the chance to scan him. 

 _ **KAYES, GARY. Born: 12.03.1988 // Business Owner // Criminal Record: Resisting Arrest, Breach of Hygiene Regulations**_  

"Ah. Thanks, Gary. I'm starving." Hank said, taking the box and drink that Gary held out. As he headed towards the tables off to the side of the food truck, Gary looked at Connor.

"Don't leave that thing here!" He called after Hank, who glanced back. 

"Huh, not a chance! Follows me everywhere..." Hank said, his voice back to having the edge in it.

Connor hesitated a minute before moving to stand at Hank's table. He debated on heading back to the car, but his programming wasn't satisfied that he'd reconciled yet. Hank was taking a bite of his hamburger when Connor approached. 

"I don't want to alarm you, Lieutenant..." Hank raised an eyebrow. "But I think your friends might be engaged in illegal activities."

"Well, everybody does what they have to, to get by." Hank shrugged. "As long as they're not hurting anybody, I don't bother 'em."

For a couple of minutes, they stood in silence. As Hank took a drink of his soda, Connor caught a whiff of pineapple. 

"Do you eat here often?" He asked, noticing how comfortable Hank seemed to be. Hank nodded.

"Most days. Gary makes the best burger in Detroit." As if to make his point, Hank took another bite of his burger. He seemed to be relaxing at least a little bit, and Connor found himself relieved. Which reminded Connor of another question he had.

"This morning, when we were pursuing the AX400..." Hank looked over at Connor as he spoke. "Why didn't you want me to cross the highway?"

"You could've been killed!" Hank answered, his voice incredulous. Connor's eyebrows shot up and it apparently made Hank catch what he'd said. "I mean... I hate filling out equipment damage reports. Ya know, whatever."

"Can I ask a... personal question?" Connor asked, frowning that Hank was back to being his guarded, tense self. Hank gave a short nod to continue. "Why do you hate androids so much?"

It was a few seconds before Hank answered, and when he did, Connor knew they weren't to that bridge yet. "I have my reasons." 

"Do you have any questions for me?" Connor asked, hoping to lighten the mood. He supposed it could come off as antagonistic if he was the one asking all the questions.

"Hell no!" Hank rolled his eyes, then stopped mid bite of his hamburger. "Actually, well yeah. Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?"

Connor blinked. He looked 'goofy'?

"Cyberlife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my voice and appearance were specificially designed to facilitate human integration." He recited.

Hank nodded, not taking his narrowed eyes off Connor. "Well, they fucked up."

For a few minutes, they sat in silence

"Maybe I... Can I tell you what we know about deviants?" Connor asked, hesitant to ask another question, but not wanting to just start spewing information. Hank didn't seem to like it when he did either.

"Go ahead." Hank said, looking at Connor with an odd expression. He seemed less reluctant to look at the android, and Connor marked it down as the start of a success. 

"We believe that a mutation in the software of some androids causes emulation of-"

"In english, please." Hank groaned, raising a hand.

Connor rethought how to say it simpler. "They don't _feel_ emotions, they just get overwhelmed by irrational instructions."

"Have you dealt with deviants before?" Hank asked, sounding mildly uninterested in the science behind it.

"Once." Connor said, an image of Daniel holding Emma on the edge of a rooftop came to mind. He looked up, and Hank was staring, looking half expectant, half curious. "A few months back. A deviant was holding a little girl hostage. I managed to save her."

Hank stared for just a moment longer, an unreadable expression on his face. He blinked a couple times and took a sip of his soda.

"So I assume you know everything there is to know. About me."

"I know you graduated top of your class." Connor said after a second. He found no point in pretending he didn't know anything the Internet had to offer. "You made a name for yourself and became the youngest Lieutenant in Detroit. You've gotten a number of disciplinary warnings in recent years... and you spend a lot of time in bars."

Hank raised an eyebrow at that last part, making Connor worry that he shouldn't have added it. But it was in his files. Hank shrugged and took another drink. "What's your conclusion?"

"I think working with an Officer with... personal issues is an added challenge, but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features." Connor winced as a report came in, bringing with it the usual spear of discomfort. He skimmed through it quickly and turned his attention back to Hank, who was staring at him concernedly. "I just recieved a report of a suspected deviant in the area. We should have a look."

Connor stood back from where he'd been leaning on the table and straightened his tie. "I'll let you finish your meal. I'll be in the car if you need me."

Connor didn't miss the surprise, then small smile on Hank's face as he walked back to the car.

 

"Hey." Connor opened his eyes. The elevator had stopped and Hank was standing outside the open door, staring. "You run outta batteries, or what?"

"Sorry. I was filing a report with Cyberlife." 

"So you gonna stay in the elevator all day?"

"No." Connor said, closing the report and sending it in. "I'm coming."

Hank had already started off into the hallway, and Connor moved to follow. The building was hardly livable, though not yet condemned. The air was thick and musky and the walls were water damaged. Of the two apartments on the floor, neither were supposed to be occupied. Connor stopped and knelt beside a pile of feathers. A quick scan identified them as belonging to Rock Pigeons. Shed naturally and not very old, so the amount of birds to have made the pile would have to be significant.

"Were you really making a report back there?" Hank asked, leaning against the door to the apartment in question. "Just by closing your eyes?"

"Correct." Connor said, standing back up and heading over to rejoin the Lieutenant.

"Damn. Wish I could do that." Hank said. "What's the report say?"

"Nobody's supposed to be living here, but the neighbor reported hearing a noise and seeing a man hiding an LED under his cap." 

"Jesus." Hank groaned. "If we're gonna get a call everytime someone hears a noise, we're gonna need more cops." 

Connor approached the door where Hank was leaning and looked to the Lieutenant, who nodded.

"Anyone here?" Connor knocked. No answer. Hank shrugged. Connor knocked harder, rattling the broken down door. "Open up, Detroit police!"

There was a loud thud, followed by a few smaller ones. Hank's hand flew to his gun automatically and Connor stepped away from the door.

"Behind me." Hank said, raising the gun to eye level pointed at the door. His voice was on edge and serious, despite having been sarcastic and aloof. Connor wondered how many years of experience it took in the force to be able to flip on a dime like that. 

"Got it." Connor said, moving quickly to let the Lieutenant in front of him. After glancing back at Connor, Hank kicked the door open, the loud boom shaking the building. 

Connor scanned the small hall the door led into as Hank headed forward. The scan revealed nothing, but Connor still glanced into the two rooms they passed after Hank had cleared them. Hank got to the final door and hesitated. He looked at Connor, and Connor's sensors told him immediately that Hank was scared. The man's heart rate and temperature were both up from just a few seconds before. Nonetheless, the Lieutenant nodded and kicked open the door.

The flood of noise and commotion that came from the room was startling. Hank staggered back cursing as a dozen frantic pigeons scattered out of the room. He looked in both directions before lowering his gun and sighed.

"Fuckin' birds." He groaned.

Connor followed as he stepped into the room and paused before scanning. There were around fifty pigeons on every surface of the apartment, pecking at seeds and nothing. The air was so thick he imagined Hank would be having trouble breathing. The apartment was in no better shape than the rest of the building. A tarp hung over the window, blocking out almost all the light. 

Hank headed toward the window, kicking pigeons out of the way and sending them scattering for a second before they settled back into their places. He tore down the tarp and pried open the window, letting in a small gust of fresh air. A few pigeons took off, but most stayed in their spots.

"We're too late. It's gone." Hank snapped, glancing around.

Connor's attention drew immediately to a card lying on a cabinet nearby. It was an altered driver's license for a man named Rupert Travis. Connor recognized the picture as a WB200 model, serial number #874 004 961, reported missing on October 11th, 2036.

"There's a fake ID here. Along with a monogrammed jacket." Connor examined the material, but there was nothing of importance to note. 

"Glad we didn't come for nothing." Hank's tone was sarcastic as he toed a pigeon out of the way. "What's with all the fuckin' birds?"

"Some deviants have shown signs of small obsessions with animals. Household pets, for example. But never to this extent." Connor said, eyes skimming over the rest of the room. He headed into the bathroom and his eyes fell immediately on the sink.

"Its LED is in the sink." Connor said. The LED had been disconnected just a few hours ago, the fresh Thirium in the sink would've evaporated within three hours. Sampling the Thirium in the sink confirmed Connor's ID of the WB200.  

Connor looked to the wall beside him next and documented the rA9 reference.

"What's that about?" Hank asked, showing up next to Connor, his eyes focused on the wall.

"rA9, written 2471 times. It's the same sign Carlos Ortiz' android drew on the shower wall. Why are they so obsessed with this sign?" Connor wondered out loud. 

"None of this shit makes sense." Hank grunted before shrugging and headig back into the other room. He was tapping his foot, and Connor could tell he was getting bored with the apartment. 

Connor followed, intending to let Hank call off the investigation, but his eyes fell on an overturned footstool near the corner of the room. He headed over immediately, scanning. The scuff marks were fresh, and the birds were more concentrated on that side of the room.

"See something?" Hank asked. Connor didn't answer as his simulation program started reconstructing the scene. "Connor?"

_The dark figure ran to the door, knocking over the bird cage. That had been the loud noise they'd heard. The figure wrestled with the lock for a second before running along the wall, tripping over the footstool. He could hear Hank kick in the first door out in the hall. The figure panicked for a minute, looking around frantically before running towards the armchair sitting in the corner of the room-_

"Connor!" Connor was snapped out of his reconstruction as he was shaken violently by his shoulders. Hank released him as soon as Connor blinked back into reality, but Connor swore he could see a hint of concern in those pale eyes. "You really gotta stop zoning out like that."

"I... Sorry Liuetenant. I just thought I-"

The impact was a surprise that even his program hadn't forseen. He was knocked to the ground, a heavy object landing on top of him before he'd even seen it coming. The cry he let out surprised him as well, and he heard Hank cursing. Jumping up, he could only watch as the deviant bolted out the door. He looked to Hank for permission to pursue just as Hank spoke.

"What are you doing?! Go after it!" He snapped, kicking at the pigeons that were stirred from the commotion. Connor didn't hesitate any further.

Running out into the corridor, he caught sight of the deviant just as it rounded the corner, slipping out of sight. Starting to gain on it, Connor jumped over the side table it had knocked down in front of the elevator. It ran through the fire exit, triggering the building alarm. His program weighed the options on whether to alert the remaining tenants, but the chase won over the priority. He burst through the fire exit and was jumping over an air conditoning unit as the deviant leapt over the side of the building. 

Landing in the unmanned grain field of the UFD field, Connor didn't hesitate chasing as the deviant ran across an overpass, narrowly missing being hit by an oncoming bus. The bus was skidding on the road, the automatic brakes having been triggered. Across the overpass, it was climbing a portion of a fire exit staircase, high onto another building.

To catch up, Connor jumped onto a stack of haybales on the edge of the building to leverage himself onto the roof of the bus, then pulling himself onto the roof of the building the deviant had been climbing. The bus veered as he'd jumped, and he felt the strain on his right shoulder before the warning flashed across his display.

**_BIOCOMPONENT #0313R - NONCRITICAL DAMAGE_ **

Pushing it aside, Connor surged forward, aware that the deviant was seeming to slow down as well. They leapt a couple more rooftops before he realized they were going back around the way they'd come. The deviant didn't have a plan, and was hoping to lose him in the familiar territory. When it charged into a field of golden wheat taller than they were, Connor relied on his audio processor to keep him going in the right direction.

"Stop! Detroit police!" Hank's voice shouted from a fair distance in front of him. As he got closer he could start hearing the sounds of a struggle, and when he finally emerged from the wheat field he stopped in his tracks.

The deviant and Hank were wrestling over the gun, but the deviant was faring better. It gave Hank a final shove before running toward the ledge of the building. Connor froze watching Hank stumble backwards, falling over the edge of the building. He grabbed the ledge, but his grip was clearly waning.

Connor moved without thinking and before he even realized he'd made a choice, he was standing over Hank, who clawed for the hand Connor outstretched. As Connor pulled the Lieutenant up, he felt a burning sensation in his shoulder, worse off than before. The message came as no surprise.

**_BIOCOMPONENT #0313R - MODERATE DAMAGE. SEEK CYBERLIFE MAINTENANCE._ **

 "Shit!" Hank snapped, slamming his fists against the cement of the rooftop as soon as Connor had let him go back on solid ground. "Shit! We almost had it!"

"It's my fault. I should've been faster." Connor said, staring in the direction the deviant had gone, hoping to catch a glance of the fleeing figure. He knew it was long gone though. He winced as the  ** _MISSION FAILED._** came across his vision. 

"You woulda had it if it weren't for me." Hank said breathlessly, his voice softer. His eyes raised to Connor's LED for a second, and Connor reasoned that it must be yellow with the processing he was doing. "We know what it looks like. We'll get it next time." 

Hank turned to leave, but stopped and turned back around. "Hey, Connor?"

Connor turned around, maybe a bit too mechanically. Hank grimaced. Connor noted how Hank's face hardened back up and he stopped making eye contact.

"Nevermind." Hank said gruffly, before turning and heading back down the stairwell. 

 

"Lieutenant?" Connor said softly after they'd parked at the station. Hank had been about to open his door, but stopped. He didn't look over though, still guarded.

"Hm?" Hank's response was short. 

"If I could... Would it be possible for me to run to a Cyberlife store before returning to work?" He asked, treading lightly. He knew Hank wasn't going to be upset over his absence. If anything the Lieutenant would be happy, but it still felt like he was shirking work to have to get repaired while Hank worked. "It wouldn't be very long, I can assure you."

"What for?" Hank asked, an eyebrow raised. His tone held curiousity and suspicion.

"In the pursuit, I received minor damage to-"

"Damage?" Hank cut him off, those pale blue eyes scanning over the android. 

"I believe the human equivalent would be a dislocated shoulder." Connor explained. He raised his arm, which was slow and close to unresponsive at that point. 

"Fuckin' hell, Connor!" Hank snapped, fastening his seatbelt back in and putting the car back into drive. "You've gotta let me know about this shit when it happens."

Connor made a note of that as Hank backed out of the spot. "Sorry, Lieutenant."

Hank was quiet for a minute, before shooting a glance over at Connor. "Are you alright?"

"Androids don't feel pain, Lieutenant." Connor said. Hank groaned and kept his eyes forward for the rest of the ride. His white knuckles on the steering wheel were telling. "I appreciate your concern, though."

"Whatever."


End file.
